Bangkok Public Hospitals: Rajavithi, Lerdsin, Police General

Bangkok’s best-known public hospitals for foreigners are the university giants, but the city has several other state hospitals worth knowing: Rajavithi, Lerdsin, Police General, the BMA’s Klang (Central) Hospital and Taksin. They differ in who runs them, how big they are and how much English you can expect. For a foreigner the useful rule is simple: they treat real illness at state prices, but you will pay a higher foreigner rate than a Thai patient, and English support is uneven, so call before you go.

What is a public hospital in Bangkok, and who runs it?

“Public” covers several owners, and the owner decides the paperwork, the fee schedule and the kind of patient the hospital is built for.

Source for the table: each hospital’s Wikipedia entry. Last verified 9 October 2026. Bed counts change, so treat them as a scale guide. Other sources named in this guide: Police General Hospital website (policehospital.org), Hospital Accreditation Institute of Thailand, Australian Embassy (DFAT) hospital contact list, AXA Global Healthcare, Pacific Prime, Pattaya Mail and MedicalTourism.com.

Two of these belong to the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Medical Services, one to the police, and two to the city government. The big university hospitals are covered separately in the guides to Chulalongkorn Hospital, Siriraj Hospital, Ramathibodi Hospital and Vajira Hospital. For how state hospitals compare with private and accredited ones, see JCI vs private vs public hospitals.

Rajavithi Hospital: a very large referral centre

Rajavithi Hospital sits at 2 Phaya Thai Road in Ratchathewi District. It opened on 16 April 1951 as the Women’s Hospital, the country’s first specialised women’s health hospital, and was renamed Rajavithi in 1976. It is run by the Department of Medical Services and has 1,200 inpatient beds, one of the largest bed counts in Thailand. According to Wikipedia it has about 250 doctors and treats up to 1 million outpatients a year.

What it is good at: Wikipedia describes it as the largest tertiary referral centre of the Department of Medical Services, with a major organ transplant facility, a heart centre opened in 1988 and a large trauma unit. Obstetrics was its core service for a long time, and surgery, internal medicine and ear, nose and throat departments were added later. The promotional MedicalTourism.com listing names cardiology, neurology and oncology among its specialties, and also lists orthopaedics, ophthalmology and dermatology. The Narenthorn EMS Center, set up in 1995, runs emergency medical services, and the Children’s Hospital stands next door.

Reputation: in March 2026 Pattaya Mail reported that Rajavithi was included in Newsweek’s list of the 30 best hospitals in Thailand for 2026, compiled with Statista from surveys of more than 85,000 healthcare workers in 30 countries.

Is it right for a foreigner? It is a high-volume teaching hospital (the Rangsit University College of Medicine has trained students there since 1992), so expect queues and a teaching environment. The promotional MedicalTourism.com listing says it offers language assistance and cultural support to international patients; that is the listing’s claim, not the hospital’s. Ask the hospital which languages are covered for your clinic and visit time.

How do you get to Rajavithi?

The MedicalTourism.com listing says it can be reached by taxi, bus and the BTS Skytrain. Check the walking route from your station on a map app before you set out. The address is 2 Phaya Thai Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400.

Lerdsin Hospital: Silom’s state teaching hospital

Lerdsin Hospital is at 190 Silom Road in Bang Rak District. Wikipedia gives its founding as 1889, with roots in Bang Rak Hospital, run by the American doctor Thomas Heyward Hays. It is run by the Department of Medical Services, has 500 beds, and is the main teaching hospital for Rangsit University’s College of Medicine (the partnership dates from 2013). It is also an affiliated teaching hospital of Siriraj’s Faculty of Medicine and of Srinakharinwirot University’s Faculty of Medicine.

Lerdsin has a long history in sexually transmitted infection care: an STI unit was set up in 1939, and the hospital was renamed Lerdsin after the Second World War. General surgery residency training has run there since 1973.

Language: the Australian Embassy’s hospital contact list (compiled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which does not endorse the services or guarantee the list is current) gives Lerdsin’s languages as English and Thai. The same list gives the telephone number as +66 2 353 9801. Call to confirm which clinic has English-speaking staff on your day.

Police General Hospital: a police hospital that also serves the public

Police General Hospital, at 492/1 Rama I Road in Pathum Wan, is run by the Royal Thai Police. Wikipedia lists it as a police teaching hospital with 650 beds, founded on 13 October 1952 and affiliated with the HRH Princess Chulabhorn College of Medical Science, Srinakharinwirot University’s Faculty of Medicine and the Royal Thai Police Nursing College. Its roots go back to a hospital built near Phlapphla Chai in 1897. It was renamed Klang Hospital in 1915 and moved to the Rama I Road site in 1952.

What the hospital’s own website lists:

• Hours: regular outpatient clinics Monday to Friday 08:00 to 16:00, and the emergency room open 24 hours.
• After-hours clinics: orthopaedics Monday and Tuesday 16:30 to 19:30, internal medicine Monday to Thursday 16:30 to 19:30, obstetrics and gynaecology Monday 16:00 to 19:00, osteoporosis Monday 16:30 to 19:30.
• Dawn clinic: orthopaedics Monday to Friday 05:00 to 08:00.
• New centres: a Heart Centre and a centre for emerging infectious diseases, tropical diseases and tuberculosis.
• Phone: 02-207-6000.

The hospital’s website is in Thai, so for a foreign patient the practical step is to phone, ask whether the clinic you need has an English speaker, and bring a Thai-speaking friend if not. On quality marks, the Hospital Accreditation Institute of Thailand lists a re-accreditation certificate (level 5) running from 26 August 2023 to 25 August 2026, a certificate for osteoporotic fracture care from 25 November 2025 to 24 November 2028, and a re-accreditation survey period starting 26 August 2026. Ask the hospital for its current status.

Klang Hospital: the BMA’s Central Hospital

Klang Hospital, officially the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration General Hospital, is at 514 Luang Road in Pom Prap Sattru Phai District, on the corner of Luang and Suea Pa roads. “Klang” means “central” in Thai, so it is the “central hospital” of Bangkok. It is a public tertiary teaching hospital with 500 beds, run by the BMA’s Medical Service Department. It was founded in 1898 under King Chulalongkorn, and Mae Fah Luang University’s School of Medicine trains students there. With Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital (464 beds, 8 Charoen Krung Road, Bang Kho Laem) it forms the BMA’s medical education centre (2012).

Language: the Australian Embassy list gives Klang’s language as Thai only. If you do not speak Thai, bring an interpreter or choose a hospital with confirmed English support.

Taksin Hospital: a BMA hospital in Khlong San

Taksin Hospital is at 543 Somdet Chao Phraya Road in Khlong San District, also run by the BMA, with 473 beds. It opened on 15 February 1904 as the Cholera Hospital and was renamed Taksin Hospital on 11 September 1973. For years it served mainly as a rehabilitation centre for patients from Klang and Vajira hospitals, and it began treating general patients after 1972. It is an affiliated teaching hospital of Vajira’s medical faculty (since the 2020 academic year, training 20 students a year) and of Siriraj. Khlong San BTS station has served it since 16 December 2020.

Is Thammasat University Hospital in Bangkok?

No. Searches for “Thammasat University Hospital Bangkok” lead to a hospital on Thammasat’s Rangsit Campus in Khlong Luang District, Pathum Thani Province, a separate province just north of the city. It is a public teaching hospital under Thammasat University (Ministry of Education), with 843 to 844 beds and at least 1,500 outpatients a day, and it opened on 5 December 1987. Allow extra travel time if you plan a visit from central Bangkok.

What do foreigners pay at Bangkok public hospitals?

Since 2019, Thai public hospitals may legally charge foreigners more than Thai patients. AXA Global Healthcare (published 4 November 2019, updated 9 September 2025) describes four bands: Thai nationals, ASEAN nationals, expatriates on non-immigrant visas, and tourists and retirees. Foreigner rates can reach double the Thai price. A Pacific Prime blog post (22 June 2023) gives examples from the schedule it cites:

The two sources describe the tiers slightly differently, and both are insurance brokers, so ask each hospital for its current foreigner price list before treatment. Police General is run by the police and Klang and Taksin by the BMA, so confirm which schedule each one uses.

Which public hospital should a foreigner choose?

• Complex or specialist referral (cardiac, transplant, trauma): Rajavithi is the largest of the group, at 1,200 beds.
• Silom Road location with English listed: Lerdsin.
• Orthopaedic or internal medicine care outside office hours: Police General’s published after-hours and dawn clinics.
• Pom Prap Sattru Phai district: Klang Hospital, if you have an interpreter.
• Khlong San, next to a BTS station: Taksin.

If speed, English-speaking staff and a private room matter more than price, a private hospital may suit better. For that decision see choosing a hospital and insurance vs cash for treatment.

For private options, see Bangkok Christian Hospital, Yanhee Hospital and Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun.

How to prepare for a first visit

1. Phone first. Ask which languages your clinic covers and whether you need an appointment.
2. Bring your passport and visa details. The foreigner price band depends on your status, so expect to be asked.
3. Ask for the foreigner price in writing before any scan or procedure.
4. Arrive early for a regular outpatient clinic. These hospitals handle large patient numbers.
5. Know your emergency plan. Police General’s emergency room is open 24 hours according to its website. For any other hospital, confirm emergency hours by phone.

Common questions

Can a tourist use Rajavithi Hospital?

The promotional MedicalTourism.com listing says Rajavithi serves both local and overseas patients. Tourists fall into the highest foreigner price band, so confirm costs first.

Is Lerdsin Hospital English-friendly?

The Australian Embassy’s list gives English and Thai as Lerdsin’s languages, but it carries a disclaimer on currency. Confirm by phone.

Is Police General Hospital only for police?

Police General is a police hospital, run by the Royal Thai Police, and it lists regular outpatient clinics Monday to Friday. Ask the hospital whether your case can be seen there.

Which Bangkok public hospital is the biggest?

Of the five covered here, Rajavithi, with 1,200 beds.

Which public hospital is near the BTS?

The sources name Rajavithi (reached by BTS, taxi and bus) and Taksin (Khlong San BTS station, since December 2020).